Now I Know
by PoeticLover1996
Summary: Sonic's thoughts, reflections, and conclusions on himself, his life, and his friends.


"Now I Know"

Written by PoeticLover1996

Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog or any of its relating characters.

A/N: Sonic, to me, is deeper and more thoughtful than either he lets on or gets credit for. This story is about Sonic's reflections and conclusions about some things. I didn't know what category to put this story in.

* * *

It was a beautiful night, with the stars glittering high above in the sky and the moonlight dancing on the grassy ground, lending her light to Sonic as he walked through the woods. Yes, Sonic the Hedgehog opting to walk rather than run was weird within itself, but walking allowed him to think better than running faster than the speed of sound.

He walked until he made it to a little clearing, complete with a meadow of flowers of all sorts of colors to a lake with water as blue as his fur. He sat beneath a large oak tree, his legs crisscrossed and his chin resting in both of his gloved hands.

It was quiet, save for the sound of his breathing, the soft whistling of the wind as it blew, and the chitter-chatter of the various woodland animals. It was a rarity in itself when Sonic had time to be by himself. With him being a hero and having to save everyone from impending doom, travelling to different parts of the planet in search of adventure, to making time to hang out with his friends, Sonic rarely had time to be by himself, and he wasn't about to waste his given opportunity. He closed his emerald-green eyes and leaned back, resting fully against the rough trunk of the oak tree as he allowed his thoughts to wonder.

One thing Sonic often thought about was why he was a hero. Most people would be quick to say it was because of the fame, the fortune, or the power, but not Sonic. Sonic didn't give two shits about that stuff. He was a hero because he liked helping people. He couldn't stand someone being in trouble and often sped off to help. He was a hero because he wanted to make a difference in this oh-so evil and corrupted world, because he wanted to keep the hope that it was going to better someday alive.

The path a hero walked was a lonely one, even if one was blessed with true-blue friends like he was. One huge downside to being a hero was the all of the expectations and goals everyone had set for him to meet. People liked to say that failing wasn't an option, but in Sonic's case, failing _really_ wasn't an option for him. If he failed, then not only did he not succeed in either saving someone or saving the day, but the world and her people would surely turn their backs on him.

Sonic hated being depicted in such a light because while he had special abilities, he could only do so much. He dreaded the day, should it ever arrive, which he prayed it never did, should he not be able to save the day. It would surely be the end of him. That really just proved how narrow-minded and judgmental people really were.

Another thing that irked Sonic about being a hero was that he wasn't allowed to fuck up. Yes, fucking up wasn't an option for him. He wasn't allowed the gift of being able to make mistakes, to slip up and fall on his face. He wasn't allowed to fail or lose. He knew a lot of people would think he lost his mind for wanting such things, but a lot of people didn't understand how hard it was being a hero. All he wanted was a normal life, to be able to buy a game for his PS3 or buy groceries without someone asking for his autograph or picture or some other shit like that.

He was cocky, fearless, heroic, and confident, but mainly because he had to be. He couldn't show darker emotions such as anger, sadness, or hopelessness. He was only allowed to feel happy and carefree, and he was happy and carefree. That was simply in his nature. However, he got sad just like everyone else did. He got scared just like everyone else did. What made him better than anyone else that he was above feeling such emotions? Not a damn thing. Hell, anyone could be a hero if they truly wanted to.

Saving the world a bunch of times didn't make someone a hero. Willingly helping someone when they needed it or doing something nice because you genuinely wanted to, _that's_ what made someone a hero. He was a hero because he wanted to be one. No one made him rescue people or stop Eggman or fight evil. He did that stuff because he wanted to, not because he had to, because when it boiled down to it, Sonic wasn't obligated to do shit. He was his own person. It wasn't like he asked to be a hero, not that he wasn't glad that he was one.

His thoughts strayed to his friends. He honest-to-God appreciated each and every one of his friends. They stood by him, protected him, and corrected him when he was wrong. He fought and protected the world so that they could enjoy another day. They were one of the main reasons why he did what he did.

Tails was like the brother he never had. He was brilliantly intelligent and had a lot going his way. Knuckles was his rival, but he was his friend also. Tough, albeit gullible at times, he was someone Sonic knew without a doubt he could count on. Rouge, though she could be shifty when she wanted to, wouldn't betray them. She may seem ditsy and cold and too playful at times, but she cared about her friends, and while other people didn't trust her, Sonic did.

Cream was so sweet and innocent. She was kind and always kept trying until she succeeded. She was an absolute joy to be around. Blaze was calm, cool, and level-headed, though a bit distant. She was a good person with a good heart and earned a place in each of their hearts. Silver was fun to be around. He was silly and funny, always seeing the best in everyone. Sonic hardly had trouble reading him; he never hid how he felt.

Shadow the Hedgehog. Despite what people thought, Sonic and Shadow didn't harbor any real dislike towards each other. He and Shadow weren't enemies or whatever. Sure, they didn't take to each other quickly, but as time progressed, they got used to each other. Shadow preferred to do things by himself, but that's because he was used to doing things alone. Besides Maria, he never really had any friends, and he wasn't used to being around so many people.

Sonic and Shadow trusted each other, and Sonic knew that should he ever need help or was in trouble, Shadow would be there to lend a helping hand. He really wasn't that bad of a guy. He just went through a lot, like losing Maria.

Sonic wasn't stupid. He could see the distrusting, disapproving, and disgusted looks people. He, along with the rest of the team, stood up for and by Shadow, something no one besides Maria had ever done. Ever since then, Shadow had been more open and willing to hang with them, though he still kept to himself a lot. Some wounds took time to heal, but it was nice to know that he was making progress.

Amy Rose the Hedgehog. What could Sonic possibly think one of his most valued and trusted friends? She was fierce and brave and strong as hell. Hello, have you _seen_ how big her Piko Piko Hammer was? The shit looked like it weighed a ton. She had to be strong to swing that thing around.

Amy was sweet, kind, helpful, and caring. She always had something to be happy about. She was very cheerful and optimistic, always looking towards the brighter things in life, rather than dwell on the bleak and gloomy.

Sonic, while he doesn't always show it, truly cared about Amy. He already knew he loved her. He risked his life too many times for him not to love her. He only denied it because he didn't want people all up in his business, and he didn't want any of his enemies to know that. They already went after her as it was, and that's because she was just friends with him. Imagine what horrid things they'd do to her if they found out she was his boyfriend. He couldn't, no, he _wouldn't_ let anyone hurt Amy. If he lost her now, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

However, trying to protect her didn't give him the right to act so poorly towards her. She was nothing but nice to him and had already proven more than once that she loved him for who he was and that she'd always be there for him. He was sixteen years old now; it was time to stop bullshitting and man the fuck up. He was going to apologize for how he acted and tell her how he felt. That confession was beyond overdue. He smiled as he pictured the ecstatic look of joy that was sure to appear on her face when he told her. He honestly didn't know what took him so long to realize what was there all along. Either way, now he knew how he felt, he understood how he felt, and now he was going to do something about it.

Sonic stood up and walked back home for some must needed sleep, leaving the beautiful clearing behind. He didn't understand why some things took him longer to figure out than others, but it didn't matter now. None of it did. Why?

"Because now I know," Sonic said quietly, answering the question. "I know more now than I knew then. It's time I started acting like it, and it's time I started showing it." His emerald orbs glowed as he spoke those words.

A long time ago, change used to scare Sonic. He wasn't ready for it. Now Sonic wasn't afraid of change because he was ready for it. He now understood that change wasn't a bad thing. It could be a good thing. It just depended on how he reacted to it.

* * *

I wanted Sonic to be more mature in this story. I think I did a good job in nailing it. I think I did a fairly good job in keeping him in character. Tell me what you thought about it. Reviews and constructive criticism are welcomed; flames are not.


End file.
